Police Say Student Was Shot As He Resisted

MIDDLETOWN — A high school senior who had amassed an arsenal of weapons in his bedroom was shot twice in the head Sunday as he wrestled with police trying to disarm him, police said.

Alexander Jakaboski, 17, of 1251-11 Washington St., was fatally shot after he fired a .45-caliber handgun during a struggle with three officers who had gone to his home to investigate a domestic dispute call, police said.

The officers went to the Woodgate condominium about 7:30 p.m. after being called by Jakaboski's mother, Shirley Jakaboski. She reportedly told officers her son had slapped her and kicked a hole in the wall during an argument over his performance at school, Deputy Chief Ronald E. Lee said.

When officers tried to place Jakaboski under arrest in the living room, he put up a struggle, Lee said. Jakaboski ended up on his abdomen on the floor with one hand underneath him.

When one of the officers tried to pull Jakaboski's hand from under his body, the officer noticed the gun and ordered the teenager to drop it, Lee said. For the next several seconds, the officers wrestled with Jakaboski, spraying him with a pepper spray and using several restraining holds.

It was during that struggle that Jakaboski squeezed the trigger once and an officer returned fire, Lee said.

``It got to the point where they were trying to move him and with him moving around, he let off a round,'' Lee said. ``With the officers not knowing where the bullet went, an officer returned fire.''

In declaring the death a homicide, the state chief medical examiner's office in Farmington said the autopsy findings ``are entirely consistent with the account given by police officers at the scene.''

None of the officers involved in the struggle -- Sgt. Louis Tosto, Officer John Laterra and Officer James Parker -- was seriously injured, said Capt. David Knapp, detective bureau supervisor. Police would not say which officer fired the rounds from his 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

Parker had a sprained knee and detectives are investigating whether a hole found in the sole of Parker's boot was caused by a bullet, Lee said.

A search of the unit Monday morning uncovered a veritable arsenal in the teenager's bedroom, Lee said. Among the items seized: A Russian-made SKS assault rifle with a bayonet attached; a Mini-14 Ruger semi-automatic rifle with a pistol grip; two 12-gauge shotguns; two .22-caliber hunting rifles; several handguns; 10 boxes of ammunition, and a gas mask.

Police also said they recovered several pipe bombs and a chemical compound that they suspect is used in making bombs. The chemical is being tested by a laboratory.

Residents of neighboring units were evacuated around 1:30 a.m. Monday while the weapons, ammunition and bombs were removed. Fire officials, called to standby at the complex, said the residents were allowed to return nine hours later.

By late Monday, investigators still weren't sure how the teenager managed to accumulate such a stock of weapons. State law requires a person to be at least 18 years old to own a rifle and 21 years old to own a handgun.

A police records check showed officers dealt with Jakaboski once in 1988 for a juvenile complaint and again in 1991 for a reported theft of a bicycle.

Tosto returned to duty Monday night but declined to comment. Parker was on administrative leave at his own request, Lee said. Lattera had the day off Monday and it was not clear whether he intended to return later this week.

Lee said the department was withholding the identity of the officer who fired his 9mm semi-automatic handgun because ``we don't want to stigmatize the officer involved.''

Members of the State Police Central District Major Crime Squad in Meriden helped gather evidence at the scene of the shooting. Middletown Police Chief George R. Aylward said he expects to appoint a three-member panel to conduct an internal investigation of the shooting soon. The final report will be turned over to the state's attorney's office for review, Lee said.

``There is every indication at this point that the individual officer acted properly and with restraint,'' Aylward said. ``There was no other action accessible to him.''

Middletown Mayor Thomas J. Serra called the shooting unfortunate. He said everything possible had been done to mitigate the situation.

``Our prayers go out to the family as well as the police officers involved,'' he said.

Alexander Jakaboski was a senior at Coginchaug Regional High School in Durham. Region 13 School Superintendent William Breck said that Jakoboski was living with a relative in Middlefield, and that the school had no problems with him.

``He was a very quiet student,'' Breck said. ``. . . It's a tragedy whenever someone this young dies.''

Breck said that students and faculty members were notified Monday and that a crisis team with counselors was available for anyone from the school to talk to.

Jakaboski transferred to Coginchaug this year from Xavier High School in Middletown. Brother Lawrence Harvey, Xavier's principal, would say little about Jakaboski except that he had attended Xavier for three years.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete Monday, said a spokesman for Biega Funeral Home in Middletown.